New missing Malaysian plane MH370 search area announced

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A new search area for the missing Malaysian plane has been announced by the Australian government after further analysis of satellite data.

The search will now shift south to focus on an area 1,800km (1,100 miles) off the west coast of Australia, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss confirmed.

Flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March with 239 passengers on board.

Officials said they believed the plane had been on autopilot when it crashed.

A 64-page report released by the Australian government concluded that the underwater search for the plane should resume in the new 60,000 sq km area.

An extensive search of the ocean floor was conducted in April after several acoustic pings, initially thought to be from the plane's flight data recorders, were heard. However, officials now believe the pings were not caused by the plane.

"It is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings," Mr Truss said.

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